A love story from Circuit of Ireland

A love story from Circuit of Ireland

6 April 2016

THIS weekend’s Circuit of Ireland Rally is likely to revive particularly happy memories for one Newcastle couple.

Will Wilson and his wife Edna met while taking part in the rally in the West of Ireland in the 1950s.

And as preparations for the 85th annual rally begin, the local couple are celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary.

Will first spotted Edna in the early 1950s after he and a friend, Dr WD Thornton, also from Newcastle, decided to enter an MG TC in the increasingly popular Circuit of Ireland.

Deciding to “give it a go” because of the huge local interest in the event, Will says the test drives of the day, which included breaks between stages, gave him the opportunity to introduce himself to two female competitors noticed from afar.

Whilst parked up waiting to tackle a test, Dr Thornton pointed out the two young ladies in the next car to his friend and asked Will to find a reason to chat to them. 

Unsure of how to make his introduction, Will decided to offer to wash the windscreen of the girls’ car with a damp sponge they carried with them in a bag.

“We were intrigued by the two girls in the car so I had to do some quick thinking,” he recalls.

“I had a sponge and plastic bag of water, so I walked over to the car and asked: ‘Would you like your windscreen washed?’ They agreed and I washed their windscreen profusely!” 

Although the pair were very grateful, Will says they were not damsels in distress. In fact, he later discovered they were sisters, Edna and Iris, whose family owned Andrews Motorcycles in Belfast. 

“They had competed on the Circuit of Ireland before and were very capable of servicing the car themselves throughout the rally, and had previously won the Ladies Award for their efforts,” said Will.

However, after his small act of kindness, a friendship formed between the two competing crews and Edna and Will kept in touch before Edna joined the Mourne Motor Club of which Will was a member. 

Will later asked Edna to become his wife leading to yesterday’s 55th wedding anniversary celebration.

The Wilsons, who live in Newcastle, have three children Caroline, Janette and William and eight grandchildren, seven boys and one girl. 

Although they have given up rallying they maintain an interest in cars, which they have passed on to the next generation with their daughter Caroline marshalling at the annual rally for several years. 

Will is now a keen sailor and President of Newcastle Lifeboat Station, while Edna enjoys golf and is past Captain and President of Royal County Down Ladies Golf Club.

They celebrated their milestone anniversary with a special holiday in Abu Dhabi. 

This year’s Circuit of Ireland Rally will take place from April 7-9 across Antrim, Down and Belfast. It has grown to become an international event, attracting competitors from across the world and boasting a global television audience of 40 million.